Rape or Sexual assault could best be defined
as the act of violating a person’s bodily integrity and sexual sovereignty.
This
dehumanizing act covers physical or sexual violence against a person, be it a male
or female. Although sexual assault can be committed by and against both sexes,
women and girls fall primarily to such abuses.
Rape or sexual abuse constitute
a criminal offence the world over. In Ghana, sexual offences are encapsulated
in chapter 6 of the criminal offences act, Act 29 of 1960.
As the chapter clearly
defines, sexual offence is any unlawful dealing with a female by way of rape,
defilement, and in the case of unnatural carnal knowledge, the victim could be
either a man or woman, indecent assault and also, incest.
The issue of female
is boldly highlighted in Act 29 because in a case where a female has the
intention of committing sexual violence against a male folk, she might not have
the spunk or the physical edge to indulge in the act.
Of recent, the Ghanaian airways is
filled with reports of sexual violence being perpetuated against women
particularly pedophiles.
Hardly a day passes without a bizarre or sadistic rape
being reported in the media. Ranking
high in the media reportage is gang rape.
Many had described gang rape as disheartening
as the situation has turned sour with many perpetuating the act with impunity.
As sickening as the practice has been, innocent girls who happen to fall prey
to this nefarious activities are tight lip because they are sometimes warned
not to disclose their ordeal to friends or relatives lest they to face the wrath of perpetrators.
Occasionally,
victims of rape are made to succumb to sexual fantasies of culprits at knife or
gun point.
Late last year, a teenager was reportedly hospitalized after she was allegedly gang-raped by five men, an action which was
videoed in a dark room at Sabon Zongo in Accra.
The girl after the act attempted
committing suicide for obvious reasons.
The police has since not been
able to append the culprits.
Worst of all, the suspects are said to have
threatened to post the videoed nude pictures of the victim on social media if
she dare pursue with the case at the police station.
Similar cases have been
reported in the media of late.
My heart ached with excruciating
distress when news broke out that two elderly men, aged 60 and 70 years had
defiled a five year old kindergarten girl at Effia, a community near Takoradi
in the Western Region.
After they were done with their irresponsible act, the
two vehemently warned the poor innocent girl not to disclose it to anyone or
else she will die.
It was unpleasant the manner in which the girl was sexually
assaulted.
As rightly
reported by the Ghanaian Times, one of the rapists placed the girl on his laps
and sexually abused her causing her to bleed profusely from her private part
and anus.
So the question is, is this the legacy the adults are leaving behind
for posterity?
Though the two are currently
in police grips, I still find it extremely difficult to understand why some men
cannot act responsibly by letting go their sexual desires rather than taking
advantage of innocent girls to excite their sexual and fleshy needs.
This
brings to the fore, the issue of consent which seem to be missing from the
dictionary of rapists.
Consent in the sense that without it any act of sexual
violation is considered unlawful and enshrined in the criminal offence act of
1960.
In the alleged case of rape involving ace broadcaster, Kwesi Kyei Darkwa,
footages of the couple kissing and caressing before and after the act have
surfaced in most sections of the Ghanaian media, thus challenging Mr. Darkwa’s
assertion of having consented sex with the victim.
In the face of this rape allegation, it is
however surprising that the nineteen year old who is at the center of the
matter has denounced her intention to discontinue with the case for reasons
best known to him.
There has been instances where girls subjected to rape are
incited by their friends and relatives
to drop charges against offenders.
Interestingly,
cases of rape that are being reported and dealt with at the law courts are
sometimes revoked for out of court settlement for fear of putting victims under
public ridicule.
Arguably, a lot of women and girls who get raped fail to
report to the law enforcement agencies because they are often faced with
challenges in their quest to seek justice through legal means.
Since rape cases
attract legal punishment, the laws must be made to take its course and not the
other way round.
People should be made to realize that sexual assault is not
only injurious to the victim’s physical wellbeing but also affects them
emotionally and psychologically.
Rape victims often go through a lot of trauma
with memories that could last for a life time. Female victims sometimes develop
hatred for men and often refuse to marry due to their past experiences.
As a country, we must rise up to the occasion
and let our conscience guide us in all we do.
The onus also lies on our ability
as citizens and the media in general to create the needed awareness on the effects
of sexual violence.
Equally, religious bodies are required to rekindle and imbue
the minds of people particularly, the youth on the spirit of moral uprightness.
This
has become necessary because the youth of today are exposed to various sexual contents
via the internet, thus making them morally bankrupt.
This therefore requires
the intervention of faith based organizations to instill discipline in them.
Parents
should complement this effort by leading exemplary lives for the younger ones
to emulate.
As a way forward, human
right institutions such as the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection should
be up and doing in dealing with cases of sexual assault particularly gang rape.
This, I believe could go a long way go to bring moral sanity in the country.
END
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